Marriage of Inconvenience
by thtimetrvlr
Summary: Can love sprout between a genius physicist and a famous actress? AU and OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Sheldon Cooper was busy working in front of his laptop when Leonard came rushing in with a bag full of grocery items.

'Sheldon, I'm borrowing our apartment tonight for a very special occasion.' He said as he entered the apartment. He walked straight to the kitchen counter and placed the bags.

Leonard Hofstadter is also a physicist like Sheldon. They have been roommates for almost five years now. They used to constantly bicker and be at each other's throat about five years ago. But over time, he warmed up to him and he now considers Leonard as his best friend – though he'll never admit it to his face.

'And may I ask what that is?' Sheldon stopped what he was doing and inquired as he turned to face Leonard.

'I'm going to propose to Leslie.' Leonard said in a whimsical voice, walking closer to where Sheldon is sitting.

'Oh.' Sheldon said, suddenly uninterested. He returned to face his laptop and continued, 'While I commend you for starting to have - as they say 'balls' - to engage a shift in your relationship paradigm, I clearly must say no. You are making a mistake, Leonard. Based on my observations, you and Leslie are only compatible sexually...'

'Hey! That's my girlfriend we're talking about.' Leonard said in an attempt to defend himself and his girlfriend.

But Sheldon still continued not minding Leonard's words, '... and anything beyond that will be deemed as fruitless.'

'Pfft. As if you know anything about relationships. As far as I know, you have never been in one.' Leonard interjected irritatedly.

'Leonard, I have an IQ of 187. I certainly have the working knowledge of anything in the universe.' Sheldon stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

'Yeah, but...' Leonard said challengingly then suddenly sighed dejectedly and instead, pleaded. 'Please, it's 'Anything Can Happen Thursday.' For once, go outside and play by yourself.'

'But Leonard...'

'No buts Sheldon.' Leonard said in a commanding voice. 'And believe it or not, you have to accept the fact that maybe I have to move out sooner.' Seeing a twitch in Sheldon's face, Leonard added '...or later.'

Sheldon stopped and think carefully. He faced him. 'Alrighty. But you owe me.'

'Fine. I'll buy you comic books.' Sheldon glared at Leonard unsatisfied. 'And action figures.'

Sheldon smiled triumphantly. 'Haha. I'll have that life-size stormtrooper replica for my Star Wars collection without costing me a buck.' He thought as he went back to work.

* * *

><p>Later that night, the Academy Awards is happening in the Kodak Theater.<p>

Penny slid out of the limousine and was welcomed by the flashes of cameras of the photographers. She walked on the red carpet in a dazzling green dress that matched the color of her eyes. Her earrings dangled and on her neck was a heart-shaped pendant. Her hair breezed through as she paced towards the entrance. There has been an ongoing buzz that the young actress would win the most coveted 'Best Actress' award. She smiled and posed for the cameras before completely going inside the venue. But her eyes are saying something else.

* * *

><p>In the apartment, Leonard nervously marched back and forth as he set-up last minute arrangements for the romantic evening with Leslie Winkle. Who would have thought that the physicist had it in him? The room looked very different – much to Sheldon's annoyance. It looked cozy and is filled with romantic ambience.<p>

'Thanks for your help Sheldon.' Leonard said to his best friend sincerely.

'You're welcome.' He replied somewhat impressed but didn't quite show it. 'Just make sure that when I come back here, there would be no sign of this great disturbance.' He quickly added before Leonard could notice and left the room.

As Sheldon was about to go down, he saw Bernadette going up.

'Hi Sheldon.' Bernadette warmly greeted him.

Bernadette is their neighbour who works part-time in the Cheesecake Factory. She waitresses in the establishment to pay for her graduate school studies. She moved across the floor a year ago.

'Hello Bernadette.' Sheldon returned. 'As luck would have it – though I don't believe in such occurrence since everything can be explained well by the realms of science – it's a good thing I ran into you.'

'Why?' Bernadette inquired.

'Since Leonard will try to shift his affiliation with Leslie Winkle to an 'advanced' relationship paradigm and seeing that it's also 'Anything Can Happen Thursday,' do you have anything else to do tonight?' Sheldon asked expectantly.

'Wow. He is really serious about her, huh?' She voiced out.

'I don't think so. He just really thinks with his penis.' He replied.

Bernadette laughed at his comment. Their relationship has really improved much. About a year ago, Sheldon wouldn't have considered asking her, let alone talk to her. 'Well, I would love to, Sheldon, but I'm working double shift tonight. I will just change my clothes.'

'Oh. Too bad.' Sheldon said. 'It looks like I'm Han Solo tonight.' Bernadette looked at him quizzically.

'Bazinga.' He uttered and let out a breathy laugh. Then, he dashed off out of Bernadette's eyes quickly.

* * *

><p>'And the award for the 'Best Actress' goes to...' Brad Pitt announced at the podium, '... Penny Larkin for the movie 'The Ghost and the Swordsman.'<p>

Penny was stunned on her seat. Tears fell suddenly from mixture of her shock and happiness. 'This is just a dream.' She thought to herself. 'Someone pinch me.' Everyone was congratulating her. She was hugged by her director and castmates. The entire hall was applauding for her. Her knees felt wobbly as she stood up and walked towards the stage. Her hands were cold as she accepted the trophy and shook hands with Brad Pitt.

'Uhm. Thank You,' she said on the microphone as she wiped her tears and cleared her throat to speak. 'Thank you to the Academy for giving me this award. Thank you to my director who has guided and taught me well. To my fellow cast and crew whom I became accustomed with as the filming progressed. We did it my friends.' She looked and smiled to them. 'Thank you to my family who continues to support me and lastly,' she paused before continuing, 'to that person who gave me courage and told me to never give up when everything else was falling apart.' She smiled again and bowed before everyone. 'Thank you.'

The room was once again filled with a round of applause as Penny exited to the back stage and the next presenter was called. She felt like fainting.

* * *

><p>Leonard led Leslie in front of the apartment and put a blindfold in her.'<p>

'Leonard, what is this?' Leslie asked him.

'You'll know in a bit.' Leonard whispered in her ear.

'Is this some sort of foreplay?' She seductively replied.

'Not exactly, but comparable.' He grinned. 'Wait here for a moment. No peeking. Count until 30 then, take off the blindfold.' Leslie followed while Leonard put a post-it on the door and quietly entered the apartment then went to his room.

* * *

><p>The Academy Award ended with the movie 'The Ghost and the Swordsman' winning most of the major awards. They held a victory party after. Penny tried to have fun but was clearly not in it because she's waiting for someone the whole night. She went to the balcony for some air when she was startled when her phone rang.<p>

'Hey Penny, where are you?' Howard, her manager, called.

'Howard, I'm in the balcony. Getting some fresh air.' She replied as she wiped a tear that slid on her cheek.

'You're still waiting for him, huh?' Howard said thoughtfully.

'I know, it's stupid but still he has never really broken a promise.' She chimed in.

'But Penny you know that you'll have to...' Howard started but was cut off by Penny's voice. 'I have a call waiting.' She checked the caller id and continued, 'It's him. I'm hanging up.'

'Hey.' Penny said excitedly.

'Hey. Congratulations. Let's meet up and celebrate.' The man on the other line said.

'Sure. Where are you?' she asked.

'I'll wait for you at the parking lot.' He said and hang up.

Penny went back at the party and looked for Howard. She approached him while smiling and saying thank you's to the people who congratulated her endlessly along the way. 'He's here. Cover for me.'

Howard looked at her and sighed. 'Fine. Just don't get caught. It would be a big media fiasco if you were.'

Penny squealed with glee and kissed him on the cheek. Before leaving, Howard grabbed her arm and Penny looked at him confused. He gave her his car keys and said 'Use my car.'

'I'm really sorry for her.' He thought for a second as Penny exited the door before going back to party-mode.

* * *

><p>Back in the apartment, Leslie was counting down. '...28, 29, 30.' Then, her phone rang. She took the blindfold off and answered it.<p>

'Hey baby. Are you ready?' Leonard said.

'Sure.' Leslie said with feigned excitement to hide her annoyance. 'I clearly remember I said to him never to call me 'baby.' She thought.

'Okay, Pick up the post-it note on the door and read it.' Leonard said on the line. The note read 'Come in.'

'I'm coming to get you. Rawr.' She said wildly then hang up. She's actually expecting Leonard to be standing naked inside, so it's really quite a shock when she saw what's behind the door.

'What the...' she muttered under her breath.

The room smelled like fresh roses. Red and white rose petals were everywhere. The bookshelves and other things were covered in white clot. There was a pathway made of lighted candles from the door to the center of the room. At the center lies an odd big box.

She walked toward it cautiously. When she opened it, she found a key with another post-it note saying, 'To my room.' She chuckled and called Leonard seductively. 'Hey big boy. I'm gonna find you.' She called out as she walked towards Leonard's room.

* * *

><p>Penny walked towards a man sitting on the hood of his red Ferrari and patiently waiting for her. As he turned his gaze up from his mobile, he saw Penny and marched towards her. He met her halfway.<p>

'Congratulations, Penny. I know you're gonna win that award.' The man said as they hugged each other longingly. 'And I've missed you.' He whispered in her ear.

'Thanks sweetie. I've missed you too.' Penny replied as she returned the hug and kissed his cheek. 'Now you'll have to buy me a nice dinner just like you promised.' They walked back towards the car with his hand on Penny's shoulder and her hands on his back.

The man is Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali. He is the son of the founders of Koothrappali Medical Group (KMG). They own some of the big hospitals in L.A. and investors in many pharmaceutical companies. They came from India but moved to America when he was a kid. Though they have been living in America for years, his parents never forgot the Hindi culture and raised him that way which is why, against his wishes, they also arranged him for an engagement with the daughter of the Ambassador of India.

He replied, 'Sure. I'm starved. Where do you want to eat?' and sweetly returned Penny's smile. He motioned for her to enter the car when Penny interrupted. 'Howard let us borrow his car.' She handed him Howard's car keys.

He laughed and said, 'Typical Howard. Cautious as always.' They rode a blue Vios. A man hiding behind the shadows saw them. Before he could set up his camera, the car already drove off.

With a mischievous grin, he thought to himself. 'I knew something fishy is going on between those two.' He started his car's engine and set out to follow them.

* * *

><p>On this clear night, Sheldon was walking alone on the busy streets of Pasadena. He just got out of the restaurant after the waiter messed up his order five times. It was annoying – but maybe more annoying for the waiter's part as he didn't even get a tip.<p>

'Well. I have to say that it's nice to take a walk by myself once in a while. I get to observe the different social paradigms and broaden my knowledge of the human interactions without interruption.' He thought and grinned at himself satisfactorily. Being in solitude really unwinds him. What could possibly go wrong tonight?

* * *

><p>'I see that you're wearing the necklace I gave you.' Raj said. He eyed her for a second then glanced back in front.<p>

'Well, since I won, I don't have to return it to you.' She teased him. 'This is mine now.' She smiled as she touched it.

'Good. Seeing how happy it made you.' He glanced at her then quickly returned his eyes on the road. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes when he caught a car on his side mirror. It looked like it was following them. Raj shifted uncomfortably and darted his eyes between the side mirror and the road.

After making sure that they were really being following, he whispered to his companion. 'Someone's tailing us.'

Penny was broken from her thoughts and worriedly replied. 'What? Who's following us?'

'I don't know.' Raj replied anxiously. 'I think it's that reporter. Hold on. I'm gonna run for it.'

Raj stepped on the gas pedal and sped away beating the red light. He manoeuvred the car skilfully and swiftly glided between the approaching cars.

'Hmm... You can run but you can't hide.' The reporter smirked on his seat.

Penny looked back behind them. The reporter stopped following them and they clearly made a mess.

'Are you alright?' Without slowing down, Raj glanced at her and asked when Penny loudly screamed, 'Raj look out!' He was startled and quickly saw the van approaching. He swerved the car to the right but lost control when one of the tires burst.

Sheldon was lost in his thoughts and didn't hear the honking car speeding very fast towards him while back in the apartment, Leslie slowly opened the door to Leonard's room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This is loosely based from a KDrama I recently watched. This is also my first time writing a fic, so please bear with me. Please read and review if you want me to continue. Thanks! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

Kent Parker is a reporter from the local tabloid, 'L.A. Daily.' Being a writer for a gossip paper is not a very lucrative job so he sometimes does sideline jobs to sustain his lifestyle. Tonight, he is paid to find proof that a famous actress and the son of a rich CEO are having an affair and continues to meet up secretly.

'Found them.' Kent parked his car not so far away. He took his camera with him and rushed towards the wreckage.

It was a disaster. The car crashed towards the wall of a closed dress shop. The front of the car was smashed completely. The windshield was cracked. The air bags flew open from the collision. The right passenger side was completely blocked by the wall.

Kent started taking pictures and thought. 'This will be a good story.' He approached and opened the front door beside the driver's seat. Surprise took over as he was about to press the shutter.

'Where is he?' He suddenly shouted. Kent panicked and looked around. 'Where is Koothrappali's son?' He asked as he grabbed Sheldon by his shirt. Sheldon nervously twitched as he came face to face with the man.

People are starting to swarm to place. He needs to finish his job now.

'Excuse me but can you please just call 911 instead of looking for people not here. I think I hurt my arm.' Penny winced and sounded annoyed. Kent released Sheldon then kicked the front tire angrily before dialling 911 in his cell.

Sheldon returned to the driver's seat. For the first time in his life, Sheldon was speechless.

* * *

><p>Back at the apartment, Leonard sat alone on his bed. While holding the diamond ring inside his right hand, he replayed the events of the night.<p>

_Leslie slowly opened Leonard's room and the next image she saw was the last that would ever cross her mind. Leonard was kneeling in front of her and showing a diamond ring from a velvety blue box. A banner behind him read 'Will you marry me?'_

_Leslie tensed at the sight across her and blurted. 'No.'_

'_No, Leonard.' She said again._

_Leonard got up, sensing the awkward situation. 'How can one feel so awesome then like a sore loser within a span of few seconds?' he thought as uncomfortable silence crept inside the room._

_They stared at each other for a moment when Leslie broke it and said. 'You cannot do this to me Leonard.'_

'_What did I do wrong?' Leonard sounded confused. 'I just proposed to you. Isn't that every woman's dream?'_

'_Leonard,' Leslie started. 'Before having this relationship with you, I clearly said that I only want something casual. Sure, this is a monogamous relationship, but I don't want something more than that.'_

'_But Leslie...'_

_She did not listen to what Leonard but continued, 'I do not want to get married. Not just to you, Leonard. I don't want to get married. Ever.' She hurriedly left without waiting for Leonard's answer._

_Leonard was at a loss for words as he heard that. He felt like the earth trembled as his fantasy shattered. As always, Sheldon was right. Anything but a sexual relationship was impossible with Leslie Winkle. Why didn't he see that? He was once again deluded by his imagination._

Everything was perfect or so it seems. He was in deep thought when he was disturbed by the phone ringing.

'What?' Leonard yelled on the receiver. He cleared his throat and regained composure then talked again. 'I'm sorry about that. Who's this?'

'Is this Leonard Hofstadter?' The woman inquired.

'Yes.'

'You are Sheldon Cooper's contact person in case of emergency. He was in a car accident.'

'What? A car accident? How - Where is he?' Leonard answered as worry replaced the thoughts of the events that unfold earlier.

'He is at the Pasadena General Hospital.'

'Okay. I'll be there.' He quickly hang up and left the apartment. 'Hang in there Sheldon' he thought.

* * *

><p><em>The car barely missed Sheldon as it passed in front of him and crashed through the wall. Shock took over his body as he sat on the side walk. He stared wildly in the space for a few minutes.<em>

'_Penny, are you ok?' Raj asked her._

'_I'm ok. But you shouldn't be here.' She worriedly replied while looking behind them vigilantly. 'The photographer might still be onto us. Get out of here quickly.'_

'_I'm not leaving you here.'_

'_Get out. It would be very bad if both us are caught by reporters.' She hissed as pain shot through her right arm._

'_You're clearly hurt. I'm not leaving you.' He insisted. _

'_I'm alright. If your father finds out what happened tonight, something worse than this could happen.' She cried._

'_But...' Raj tried to start again but, 'It would not really do us both good if we were caught here together. I might not be able to see her ever again if that happened.' He sadly thought._

_Raj reluctantly got out of the car, glancing at his back once in awhile to make sure no one saw him. He hid behind a building across the street where he could still see the car. He dialled 911 to report the accident._

'_The blue car...' Sheldon muttered as he snapped out of his daze and saw the broken car. He slowly approached it. He was about to run back as fear set in when he heard a young woman's voice._

'_Help. Please help me,' said the voice. Sheldon hesitated again for awhile before opening the car door to the driver's side._

'_Hi. How may I help you?' Sheldon said unsurely._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you to everyone who subscribed. I really appreciate it! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

'_Hey. Please help me.' Penny said as she met face-to-face with Sheldon. 'Good timing.' She thought._

'_Well. I suppose calling the paramedics would be the most appropriate action in this situation. Hang in there. I'll do the phone call.' He replied._

_Sheldon was about to dial the numbers when Penny yelled, 'No. Don't call anyone!'_

'_Doesn't he recognize me?' continuing in her thoughts._

'_But why? You are clearly hurt. With the way your right arm...' Sheldon observed._

'_I know. But I need you to do something other than that.' She butted in while masking her pain. She vigilantly looked outside for the reporter as they continued their conversation._

_Puzzled, he said, 'Huh? I don't understand.' And started again, 'In this situation, one needs to seek medical attention.'_

'_Do you have a driver's license?' Penny spoke urgently._

'_What is the significance of that question in this situation?' Sheldon asked, getting confused more than ever, but still continued voicing his thoughts loud. 'You might be suffering from a severe concussion. You really need to see a doctor immediately.'_

'_Can you please just answer my question?' She asked while trying not to lose her patience. 'Do you?'_

'_The concussion must have brought some serious brain damage for you to be acting like that. You need a head scan...' He trailed off as he saw Penny's exasperated look at him. 'Uhh... Yes. I have one**. But I don't really...'_

_Penny cut him off by saying, 'Alright. That's enough.' _

'_She must be brain damaged,' he thought._

'_Now...' She smiled at him mischievously. 'Pretend to be my driver.'_

'_What?' The look of shock was evident on Sheldon's face as the words came out of Penny's mouth. He recovered by saying, 'Are you out of your mind? This is not a good time for role-playing. You need to see a doctor and check...'_

'_Just do it! I'll explain later.' Penny half-screamed at him. 'Please,' she ended sweetly._

_The clear night swiftly went by in a blur. The next thing Sheldon knows, he was sitting on the driver's seat pretending to chauffeur for the lady then a man, wearing a black trench coat, approached them._

* * *

><p>'Is Sheldon Cooper here?' Leonard asked the woman from the help desk.<p>

She checked on her computer and replied, 'He's in room 306.'

'Thanks.'

* * *

><p>'How are you?' Raj inquired concernedly over the phone as he turned left at a stoplight.<p>

'I'm fine. It was just a bruise.' Penny said. 'You?'

'I'm ok. I'm really sorry that I can't be there.' He relented.

'It's alright. It was just a bruise.' She stopped and looked at the bandage on her arm. 'It could have been worse.'

'What about the man who was with you?' Raj started slowly. 'Do you think we can trust him?'

Penny deliberated for a moment as she remembered her exchange with Sheldon earlier.

* * *

><p>'<em>So you are Sheldon Cooper. Hmm... you're a physicist.' She said as she read his business card.<em>

'_A theoretical physicist.' Sheldon nodded in agreement and thought, 'This woman is really strange.'_

'_I'm Penny Larkin.' Penny said. She eyed him for a moment and thought 'He doesn't really know me?' before continuing to say thank you and smiled at him earnestly._

_Howard immediately entered the room and greeted them both._

_Feeling awkward in the company of strangers, Sheldon decided to leave. 'So you must be this woman's paramour. I must leave then.' He said and rapidly walked towards the door. He was about to grab the doorknob when he heard both of them laugh. He gradually turned his head at them._

'_My what?' Howard started. 'You've got to be kidding me.' He said in between laughs then all of a sudden changed his voice in a serious tone and said, 'But if she liked to, I would love to be her boyfriend.' Penny gave her a disgusted look, then Howard tried to act hurt for a moment before laughing again. Penny joined in the laughter after a few seconds._

_Sheldon looked very confused watching them. 'I have met two insane people tonight. They obviously must be tested.' He thought._

'_She's not my girlfriend. I'm her manager.' Howard said seriously and handed him a business card. Then, he continued in a business-like manner 'But before you leave...'_

_Sheldon turned around to meet them. 'Her manager?' He asked not having a clue as to why she has a manager._

_Howard ignored him and started again. 'Before you leave, we ask you to keep everything that happened tonight as a secret. In return for this small favour, we felt that we need to compensate you properly. No matter what or how much in return.' he asked directly._

'_Hold on. What secret?' Sheldon inquired innocently._

'_The part where you pretended to be Penny's driver.' Howard sighed._

_Still puzzled, Sheldon continued, 'But why? Who would ask me such things? You don't look like someone famous.'_

_Howard was dumbstruck with the last statement. Penny giggled at him and thought, 'He's really oblivious.' Sheldon continued rambling asking why Penny looked like she was being pursued or if they were actually secret agents and many other things._

_Penny cut him off and said with a light chuckle, 'No. I'm an actress. I was being chased by a reporter.'_

'_Oh. I didn't think of that. That's why you have a manager.' Sheldon said as sudden realization took over him. Howard looked at him oddly and thought, 'Where does this guy live? Under a rock?'_

'_So you know her now. If reporters interview you, you should tell them that you're driving the car the whole time. And if they asked how you knew Penny, tell them that she's your long-time friend whom you've just recently reacquainted with.' Howard told him. 'In exchange for keeping this secret, we will pay you with anything. So... What do you want?' He reiterated._

_Sheldon contemplated for a moment. 'There is no need for compensation. What I did tonight is a non-optional social convention.' 'Leonard would be proud of him,' he thought then continued saying, 'Since she refused my offer to call the hospital but asked me to pretend to be her driver instead, I think keeping this as a secret is part of that bargain.'_

'_This guy's nuts.' Howard said to himself while Penny looked at him with awe and thought, 'Is this guy serious? Too bad he's kinda cute. But crazy.'_

'_I will keep this as a secret.' Sheldon waited for them to answer. 'So, if you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave now.'_

_Howard was about to say something but Sheldon was already outside the room._

'_Hmm. This is a good experiment to test the effectiveness of the therapy. Let's see how far it has improved me to lessen my nervous tics when lying.' Sheldon said to himself outside._

* * *

><p>'Do you think we can trust him?' Raj said again over the phone.<p>

'Uhh... Yea. Sorry. Sure, we can trust him. He's a little weird anyway.' Penny said.

'Well, if you say so...' He answered and thought, 'Sheldon Cooper? No. It must be someone with the same name.'

'Where are you going?' She asked to change the topic.

'I'm on my way to the exhibit right now to secure my alibi.' He said as he looked for a parking spot.

'Uhm... Ok. I'll hang up then. Take care.'

Howard went in and brought some bagels and coffee.

'Was that Raj? How is he?' he inquired.

'Yea. He says he's fine. He just called to check up on me.' Penny trailed off and stood up to look outside the window. A lot of things were in her mind right now.

'Ok. I've brought food. You could use some of it.' He said as he placed them on the table. 'Tomorrow's going to be a long day.'

'I'm sorry that you always get dragged to our problems.' She turned to face him.

'Nahh. It's fine. I'm your manager. I get paid to do this.' He joked. But seeing the worry in Penny's face, he tried to comfort her by saying, 'Of course it's alright. I'm your friend and Raj's. What's with the little action from time to time?'

'Thanks, Howard. You're a great friend.' She sincerely replied and warmly smiled at him.

* * *

><p>'Hey Sheldon.' Leonard called.<p>

'Leonard. How did you know I am here?' Sheldon was surprised to see him.

'Someone called me...' Leonard started but was cut off.

'I'm tired. Let's go home.' Sheldon said and got up to leave.

'Alrighty. The doctor said you're free to go anyway.' Leonard said as he followed Sheldon walking towards the door.

'So Sheldon, wanna catch me up?' Leonard inquired as they exited the room.

* * *

><p>'Nothing.' Kent Parker muttered under his breath and clicked to the next photo. 'Nothing.' He clicked onto the next again. 'Nothing.' And again. But there was nothing.<p>

'What the hell. Can you at least be in one shot?' He gritted between his teeth as he continuously browse the photos. 'I could really use the money.' In his anger, he accidentally spilled his coffee on his mouse.

'Damn it.' He cursed as he wiped the liquid off the table. The photos continued moving as he tapped the mouse buttons with tissue to dry them. When he looked back at the monitor, he noticed a figure hiding behind the shadows on the picture.

'What's this?' He zoomed in and realized that it's a man's head. 'Gotcha. That must be him.'

He printed the picture and left to meet the man who needs it.

* * *

><p>Leonard and Sheldon were steps from their apartment when Sheldon finished his story. He was telling him what happened to him earlier in excruciating detail – after all, he has an eidetic memory - but leaving out the parts that he promised to keep as a secret.<p>

'THE Penny Larkin?' Leonard said as he entered the unlocked the door. 'You know Penny Larkin? Why didn't you tell me?' He looked at Sheldon widely.

'So I know her. It's not a big deal.' Sheldon said as he followed Leonard inside while trying to remember some cues from his therapy. 'That woman must be really famous.' He added in his thoughts.

'Not a big deal? Penny Larkin is one of the biggest stars today. Did you know that...' Leonard insisted but stopped when he saw Sheldon frozen on his spot.

'I thought we had a deal Leonard. I'm appalled that the disturbance you have made is still here. The flower petals are still here and you didn't blow off all the candles. What if it caused a fire?' Sheldon said as he looked around the apartment. 'And speaking of which, what happened with you and Leslie? You haven't talk about her since you picked me up so I guess she didn't say yes.' Sheldon finished and eyed Leonard for a reply.

Leonard was speechless. 'What happened? I've been asking the same thing myself all night.' He thought as the events of his night flooded his brain.

'Yes. We broke up.' Leonard sadly said.

'Oh.' Sheldon replied. 'There, there.' He said and patted Leonard's shoulder in a weak attempt to comfort his roommate.

Leonard looked at him strangely. 'Did he just...? It must be the drugs working.' He thought.

Sensing the end of conversation, Sheldon headed back to his room. Before entering, he warned Leonard. 'We had a deal Leonard. I don't care whether what you did was successful or not but I expect that our apartment will be back in its original state by morning. Good night.' Sheldon went inside and slammed the door shut.

Leonard was left in the living room. 'It's bad enough that Leslie said no, but cleaning up this mess is worse. Sheldon will have a fit if I don't do this right.' He sighed and started cleaning up. He was picking up the candles when he realized something. 'But wait, I thought he didn't have any plans tonight...'

* * *

><p>Kent Parker was about to light his third cigarette when a black limousine drove in the parking lot. 'This must be him.'<p>

A bodyguard came to him. 'Mr. Parker?'

Kent nodded and the bodyguard asked him to follow. When they reached the vehicle, the bodyguard told him to go inside.

'Mr. Parker?' The man extended his hand to Kent.

'Ambassador. I wouldn't have guessed.' Kent replied.

'I see you've brought the proof.' Kent handed him the envelope containing the picture.

The Ambassador looked at it briefly and said harshly. 'I thought you said you have the proof. What is this picture? This is not Koothrappali's son.'

'I know it's not him, Mr. Ambassador. But look here.' He said coolly and pointed to a face hiding behind the shadows. 'I believe that is Koothrappali, sir. I clearly saw he and Larkin drove away the parking lot, but when I got to them, this man was already on the driver's seat.'

The Ambassador eyed him suspiciously. 'You saw them drove away but you're giving me this picture instead?'

'I was on the phone with my editor. When I got my camera, they were already at the exit.' He nervously replied.

'This is not enough. I'll only pay you half.' The Ambassador said and signalled to his bodyguard for the money.

'What? After I've been through tonight. This won't happen.' Kent thought.

The Ambassador was already handing him the money when Kent said, 'No. I want the full amount. I'll prove to you that Koothrappali was the one who drove the car.'

'And how can you do that?' The Ambassador inquired.

'I'll talk to this man.' He said while pointing at Sheldon's picture.

* * *

><p>The news about Penny Larkin's accident spread like wildfire. It even overshadowed her recently won Oscar Award which also happened last night. And the reason for this? Everyone is curious about the man she was with during the incident. All morning, Howard was accepting phone calls from the press and told them that the man was just Penny's friend.<p>

Meanwhile, Raj was startled by the urgent ringing of the doorbell.

'Is this why you came late in the exhibit last night?' Dr. Koothrappali yelled at his son as he went inside his bachelor pad.

Raj was startled by his father's outburst. He looked at the picture and saw a blurry figure encircled with a red marker. He also noticed the person with Penny. 'Dr. Sheldon Cooper?'

'The Ambassador sent it to me. He said that someone gave it to him last night and told him that the blurred figure was you!' He continued. 'In my embarrassment, I told him that he has nothing to worry about because Penny is already getting married.'

'WHAT?' Now, it's Raj's turn to raise his voice. 'Why did you tell him that? You're gonna ruin her reputation.'

'And what am I supposed to say? The Ambassador is already suspicious of your relationship since the beginning. If I don't take care of this right now, he might break off your engagement with his daughter. Do you know how bad would that be? He's one of our biggest investors for the new hospital in India.' His father cried.

'Are you insane?' Raj said. 'I took care of the problem already. We already asked the man not to talk.' He said definitely.

'Well. I already told the Ambassador that, so either marry off that girl or both of us are going down if he finds out the truth!' Dr. Koothrappali stated.

'You are unbelievable! She will never agree to that.' Raj shouted at him before leaving.

* * *

><p>Sheldon was staring blankly at his board when he was disturbed by a knock. The man entered the room.<p>

'Excuse me? I'm working. Please leave.' Sheldon said without looking.

The man ignored Sheldon and extended his hand instead. 'I'm Kent Parker. I believe we already met...' He eyed the name on his desk. 'Dr. Sheldon Cooper.' Sheldon ignored him and told him again to leave.

'I'm a reporter.' Kent continued.

Sheldon stopped for a moment and looked at him. 'Penny Larkin is just a friend. We go way back. Now please leave.' He went back looking at his board.

'I don't believe you. I know a lot of things about what happened last night.' Kent said in return. 'You weren't driving the car. I know who really did.'

Sheldon was silent. He was trying not to show that his frightened. He continued to pretend looking at his board when his mind was racing with thoughts. 'The reporter from last night. This guy is really giving me the creeps.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Sheldon replied still looking at the board.

'I don't know how much they gave you...' Kent started. 'But my boss is willing to give you more if you would just cooperate.'

Sheldon turned and face him. 'That hits a spot.' Kent thought.

However, Sheldon replied, 'Excuse me but you are wasting precious amount of work time. This is not a good time for chitchat when I need to be working my way for the Nobel Prize.' Kent was dumbfounded by his answer.

'I will not go out of this room until you tell me the truth.' Kent stated decisively.

'Ok. If you don't want to leave...' Sheldon got up and walked towards the door. 'I'll leave instead.'

When Sheldon opened the door, he was surprised to see Penny and Howard outside. Penny looked behind him and noticed the reporter from last night.

'Now is the good time to do this.' She thought as she moved closer to Sheldon.

'What is she planning to do?' Howard thought.

'Hey sweetie.' Penny said to Sheldon sweetly as she hung her arms around his neck.

Sheldon twitched from the sudden violation of his personal space. 'What are you doing?' He whispered at her.

'Just follow my lead.' Penny answered.

Sheldon was about to say something when all of a sudden, her lips came crashing with his.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and for the story alerts. Keep 'em coming. :D**

_**I know that Sheldon does not drive in the canon but for this to make sense let's just pretend that he does own a license but rarely drives because it's more convenient to carpool with Leonard. LOL. I hope that made sense. :)_


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